Matthew 8:18-20
“Take this most seriously: A yes
on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say
to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on
anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven
goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of
me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
The director of our church’s
Children’s Ministries suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage about a month
ago. On MayoClinic.org, I found this description: “Subarachnoid
hemorrhage is bleeding in the space between your brain and the
surrounding membrane (subarachnoid space).” It has been “touch and go”
for much of this month with Donna…and she has endured countless tests
and treatments to get everything stabilized. She’s still not there…but she is far closer than she was a month ago.
Everyone
loves Donna…and the children have been concerned about her recovery.
So when we met Sunday night for the first rehearsal of our Christmas
Program, the person in charge asked if anyone would like to lead a
closing prayer. A fourth grader named Kael readily volunteered. He
prayed sweetly, asking God to help us learn the music and to be able to
give a good performance. And then he prayed for Mrs. Donna…that God
would heal her and bring her back to us.
In that moment, an hour spent with 30+ children and adults singing “Joy to the World” and dancing along
with animated camels on the projection screen while singing “We Three
Kings” got incredibly holy. We were gathered to rehearse for the
program and learn some new music to celebrate Jesus and glorify God
during the Christmas Season…but in that closing prayer, Heaven went into
action big time!
Yesterday, while I did my pool workout, I
thought about the scripture from Matthew 11 about trading our “yoke” for
that of Jesus. I jogged around the pool and gave my “yoke” to Him. I
would say, “Lord, I give you this worry. Please take that concern. I
give you this person, and that one, and another.” By the end of a
half-hour workout, my “yoke” was so much lighter. I felt the presence
and comfort of Jesus’ yoke vs. my own. It was one of the best workouts
I’ve had in a while…and certainly a holy time.
My point is
this…holy moments and opportunities are all around us. They don’t just
happen during a formal worship service, a Bible study, or other
organized assemblies. When you need Jesus, He is there. When your
heart is burdened for someone or something, you can give that “yoke” to
Him, and Heaven will go into action! When a 9-year-old child pours out
his concern for a beloved spiritual leader - and the sentiment is
silently echoed by dozens who are standing with him – God hears the
pleas. And He is ready to answer.
So get busy talking to God.
Trade your “yoke” for that of Jesus, and feel the burdens lifted from
your shoulders. Discover the power of compounded prayers as you
“activate the heavens” by sharing your burdens and concerns with
others…and agree together over them as you talk to God. Realize that
every time you offer to pray for someone – and actually do it…God answers. And He does the same when someone prays for you!
I
can imagine that the decibel level in Heaven must be astounding at any
given minute, as millions of people lift their worries and concerns to
God…and He hears and answers each and every one. Are yours among them?
Don’t you think it’s time they were?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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